Pennsylvania licenses social workers at three levels: the Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW), the Licensed Social Worker (LSW) for MSW graduates, and the Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. Social Work Ticket is a study aid. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) or any state social work board; ASWB is their mark, used here only to name the exam. Laws on confidentiality, reporting and licensing differ by state; follow your state's law, your agency and your supervisor.
Pennsylvania at a glance
License
ASWB exam
What it takes
LBSW (Licensed Bachelor Social Worker)
Bachelors
A CSWE-accredited BSW and the Bachelors exam. $75.
LSW (Licensed Social Worker)
Masters
An accredited MSW (or a social work doctorate) and the Masters exam; no experience required. $75.
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
Clinical
An LSW license, 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience after the MSW over 2 to 6 years, the Clinical exam. $90.
Pennsylvania, step by step
Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors
Apply online: apply through PALS (pals.pa.gov). Every new applicant needs a fingerprint-based FBI background check (pre-register with IdentoGO using the service code from your application) and criminal history checks from states where you lived, worked or trained in the last 10 years, none dated more than 90 days before you apply.
Child abuse training: three hours of board-approved continuing education on child abuse recognition and reporting; the provider confirms completion directly to the board.
LSW and the Masters exam: you can be made eligible for the ASWB Masters exam in your final semester (your school completes an Education Verification form; the official transcript follows once the degree is conferred). The board emails an approval letter telling you how to register with ASWB, and eligibility lasts six months. The LSW needs no post-degree experience.
LBSW: a BSW from a CSWE-accredited program and the ASWB Bachelors exam.
LCSW experience: hold an LSW, then complete at least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience after the MSW, at least half of it in assessment, psychotherapy, other psychosocial-therapeutic interventions, consultation, or family or group therapy. Supervisors meet with you at least 2 hours for every 40 hours worked (at least 1 hour individually and in person), and at least half the hours must be supervised by a qualifying clinical supervisor. The hours take no less than 2 years and no more than 6, with 500 to 1,800 hours credited in any 12 months, and count only in a single setting of at least 30 hours a week for 3 months or 15 hours a week for 6 months.
LCSW exam and license: pass the ASWB Clinical exam (you apply to ASWB and pay its fee, and direct ASWB to send the score to the board).
Fees (49 Pa. Code 47.4): LBSW or LSW application and license $75; LCSW $90; biennial renewal $95. Confirm the amount in PALS when you apply.
The steps that hold nearly everywhere: a CSWE-accredited degree, your board's approval (or ASWB's, in a few states), the ASWB exam at the level your license needs, then the license. Every ASWB level has 122 questions (110 scored) in 4 hours; Bachelors and Masters cost $230, Advanced Generalist and Clinical $260, and you wait at least 90 days to retake (ASWB Examination Guidebook, August 2026). A passing score counts in every state for the same exam level. The full walk-through: How to get your social work license.